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Rais Hassan
Raid Hassan was an Ismaili poet from Khorasan History Rais Hasan had visited Alamut around 1191, and glorified Ala Muhammad in his poem, vide "An Old Ismaili Poem" tr. by W. Ivanow (cf. "Ismaili", March, 1940, pp. 7-8). It was also a sort of prayer for seeking forgiveness for a breach of the mission rules in the Syrian community, and arrived in Persia to behold the Imam without the consent of the community authority. Its few couplets however reads:- We have come here without obtaining the consent of our jamat. As there is very little sense of unity and internal peace, so much needed in the community. We have come here, violating the rules and commandments of the dawat (mission). We have come full of the sense of shame and repentence. For having not honored and respected the commandment of the guidance. We have come to pray endlessly, in thousand ways, to forgive us these faults of our behavior. In Alamut, the period of Ala Muhammad was noted for learning and prosperity. Taylor writes in "The History of Mohammedanism and its sects" (London, 1851, p. 187) that, "He was a diligent student himself and wrote several treatises on philosophy and jurisprudence which are valued highly even by those who were enemies of his order." Rais Hasan had glorified the Imam in his poem, as referred to above. Its few couplets are given below:- O Thou, Holy One, we have come to Thee from Khorasan, we have arrived before Thee to fall prostrate in our obedience. We have come to Thee not for begging for money, gifts or honors, we have not come to beg for the grant either of horses, or saddles, coats, caps or robes of honor. We have come to Thee as the source of help and purity of religion. Be kind, and quench our thirst with water of life, because we have come to Thee in great thirst for mercy. It has been heretofore discussed that the Hashashin disliked wars to cause unnecessary blood-shed with their enemies. But when their sworn enemies hurled in the fire of war to extend their influence, threatening the Assassin power, the Ismaili fidais only killed the germs of mischief to avoid wars. Rais Hasan, who had come in Alamut from Khorasan, had composed a poem in praise of these Khorasani fidais who had killed Kizil Arslan , whose few couplets are given below:- Praise, glory and thousands of benedictions be upon the three heroes, the brave swordsmen, capturers of kings! Upon those victorious warriors on the path of the religion, out of fear and fright for whom the world prays for mercy! The Ildigiz, through his perversion and wickedness, had chosen, at the bidding of his fate, the path of arrogance All three came back, with the help of the Qaim, (bringing) victory and happiness to all sides. Every one who thinks of opposing the Lord of the Universe, is punished by the fate by violent death. The chosen prophets preached and warned people about this from the beginning, that such is the promised punishment. The king, who possesses more than a hundred thousand cavalry, would be frightened by a single warrior. Did not today the sun of the Great Resurrection rise from behind the loftiness of the preaching of Mustansir, and of the prayer of Nizar? Is not it so that whoever has no respect for Him, indulging in these terrible acts of tyranny, he will on the day of judgement be rejected by God, helpless as if drowning in mud?